• 28 Jul - 03 Aug, 2018
  • Omair Alavi
  • Reviews

Pakistan’s film industry has gotten a huge boost with the release of Teefa In Trouble. Lightingale Productions in association with Mandviwalla Entertainment and Geo Films has made it the biggest Pakistani release ever as the film released in more than 25 countries. But what good would a film be if the content isn’t strong, if it’s made to make money rather than satisfy the heart, if it looks like a B-grade Indian film than anything else. Teefa In Trouble is neither the case as it has good dialogues, is made from the heart and resembles Hollywood flicks.

There is a car chase sequence, an underwater scene, fight in the railway and a rooftop chase like never before in Pakistan. Add to it Ali Zafar’s brilliant portrayal of Teefa, Maya Ali’s beauty, Jawed Sheikh’s attitude, Faisal Qureshi’s stupidity and Mehmood Aslam’s return to films and you get a film that will find its name in history as the one that made others improve their game.

The film revolves around the life of Teefa (Ali Zafar) who is a thug with a heart of gold; whenever Butt sahab (Mehmood Aslam) wants something like buying an owl or ensuring a payment, he calls Teefa who gets the job done and is paid for his services. A problem arises when Butt’s no-good son Billu (Marhoom Ahmed Bilal) falls in love with Anya (Maya Ali) the daughter of his old friend Bonzo (Jawed Sheikh) and wants to get married to her. Bonzo lives in a guarded mansion in Warsaw, Poland, and Teefa is sent to kidnap the girl and bring her back to Lahore, Pakistan, for a fee of Rs. 1 million. Teefa gets the job done but falls in love with the same girl in the process, making things awkward between the Don and his goon. The entry of the European gangster, gora boyfriend, and a wake-up call makes the story interesting, very interesting.

Ali Zafar along with younger brother Danyal Zafar and director Ahsan Rahim came up with the story but wrote the dialogues himself, proving that if you know in your heart that you can do it, you can do it! Not only does he compose the songs and write lyrics, he sings them as well with Aima Baig, making it a perfect launchpad for someone oh-so-talented. He is also the producer of the film but that doesn’t mean that had someone else played the title role, he would have done better. The role was made for Ali and he shows that there is only one Teefa who can get out of any trouble, provided he gets the right motivation. 

As for the rest of the cast, well they all have been carefully selected, it seems. No one could have played Anya better than Maya while the sidekick role seems to have been written with Faisal Qureshi in mind. Jawed Sheikh and Mehmood Aslam play long-lost buddies who have different ideas for their kids while Simi Raheal comes as the saintly mother of the rogue played by Ali Zafar. The ravishing Mah-e-Nur Haider should have had a bigger role but one hopes that she is back in the sequel if there is one. Nayyar Ejaz and Asma Abbas have extended cameos while Marhoom Ahmed Bilal as Billu Butt is there to be a part of everything bad that happens. 

The soundtrack of the film comprises of one shadi song by Shani whereas the rest of the numbers are Ali Zafar special; they sound more like film numbers which are a huge improvement from recent films barring a few. The lyrics touch your heart and the music stays with the viewer, making it impossible to forget for a couple of days. As for the background score by Shani Arshad, there are no words to describe the effort. His good work shows that if the background score composer and the director are in sync, they can create magic. Every other scene – be it a fight sequence, a romantic sequence or a comic one – has its own background and that’s something that others must learn from.

Then there is the flawless cinematography by Zain Haleem who leaves a mark as someone who could make your film look even better. The locations selected for the film are one of the most beautiful places in the world, especially the lake where Ali and Maya dance their heart out. 

Last but not the least, Ahsan Rahim must be commended for captaining the ship in deep waters without breaking a sweat; helped by Taha Ali in the editing department, Ahsan had all the time in the world to think about the action sequences, the comic situations and places where the film will be shot. He needs to be commended for coming up with such a perfect film and one hopes that all those hoping to enter the glitzy and glamorous world of acting, follow his hard work rather than go for the life that will make you a star. 

Ahsan Rahim is here to stay and so is Teefa who is no more in any kind of trouble!